House Minority Kevin McCarthy is leading a delegation of House Republicans to south Texas to emphasize the theme of “Biden’s border crisis” as the administration is poised to roll back a Trump-era restriction on migrants.
The California lawmaker and nine other Republicans went to survey the situation on the Mexican border Monday, as Border Patrol authorities report that the already record-high numbers of encounters with illegal immigrants will skyrocket once the pandemic policy stifling the flow is repealed. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that there could be upward of 18,000 encounters per day if Title 42 is repealed on May 23. The policy was put in place during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Republicans are highlighting the nationwide impact of unchecked illegal immigration in response to what they see as President Joe Biden’s lack of action on a crucial issue ahead of the midterm elections. The issues highlighted include increased distribution of fentanyl throughout the United States, the sexual exploitation of women and minors at the hands of the cartels that control human smuggling across the border, and national security threats.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHAT IS TITLE 42 AND HOW WILL ITS END AFFECT THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS?
“I watched a man who was probably 6′ 5,” was a rancher who has lived here his whole life, 20 miles from the border, break down in tears to talk about the situation,” McCarthy said during a press conference in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas. “He told us he and his wife can’t leave the lights on to their house at night because people will come; his fear is that people are going to get killed. That’s what’s happening right now. This is a responsibility of the federal government.”
McCarthy, in line to become speaker if Republicans win a majority in the midterm elections, said that some House Democrats need to step up to keep Title 42 in place. But the delegation noted that it is only a temporary measure for the vast reforms needed.
“Title 42 is a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound,” said Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. “It’s not actual border security. It’s important, but it represents the ability to turn people away and actually secure the border. But we’ve got to actually do the hard work of having a sovereign nation with a secure border so that migrants don’t get killed.”
House Republicans Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia were included in the delegation. The trip included a boat tour of one of the most trafficked areas of the Rio Grande and a meeting with the grandmother of Bishop Evans, the National Guard specialist who most likely drowned while trying to assist two migrants struggling to cross the river.
BORDER UPDATE – PLEASE WATCH: Took a stop while boating down the river with @CBP to climb up where 50-100 had just crossed in Eagle Pass, Texas… all enriching cartels & overwhelming CBP while dangerous felons & potential terrorists walk in & Texaa ranchers live in fear. pic.twitter.com/uNpjYWJHGi
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) April 25, 2022
McCarthy and more than 50 other House Republicans sent a letter Monday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “to address your actions to dismantle the security of our nation’s southern border” that have “willingly endangered Americans.” The party urged Mayorkas to take any and all legal actions to secure the border.
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McCarthy’s office said in a statement that “President Biden and his appointed border czar, Vice President Harris, ignored the obvious warning signs, refused to secure our southern border, and neglected their most basic responsibilities of protecting our sovereignty.”
